A Fever Under Three Suns
by Sandylee007
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Donna Noble are visiting a remote, ice cold planet when it becomes clear that the Doctor isn't feeling well. Donna ends up gaining some new insight on the sick Time Lord's soul. SICKFIC ONESHOT REUPLOADED AND RE-RATED


(**Reuploaded because silly, fluish author accidentally made the rating too low and the story was deleted. Reviews so far saved and been re-uploaded as unsigned reviews, lost 3 favorites listings. THANK YOU, so very much, for those! It's so good to know that many of you enjoyed the story! To new readers, welcome!)**

A/N: Okay, so… A while back something wonderous happened. Much thanks to a dear friend's recommendation I started watching 'Dr. Who'. And fell in love. Since then I've spent HOURS familiarizing myself with the series' world, characters and storylines. In other words I'm hopelessly hooked. (chuckles) And now I finally felt bold enough to type my very first fic for the series.

DISCLAIMER: GOSH, NO! I don't, definitely don't, own anything about the series or characters. I'm merely borrowing two of the characters and hoping dearly that I do them justice…

WARNINGS: A little language… Unwell Doctor… Perhaps some fever induced OOCness… Well, how about that! A short list for once.

Alright, since there's no use is stalling… And I'm afraid I may end up changing my mind… Allons-y!

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><p><em><strong>A Fever Under Three Suns<strong>_

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><p>Donna Noble didn't consider herself a whiner. But she did have to awknowledge the facts of her current situation. And those were more than enough to justify her… displeasure.<p>

Precisely five hours ago – or however bloody long had really passed because time had stopped making sense to her long ago – her positively mad companion chose to crash them to what appeared to be a planet-sized ball made of snow and ice. Yes, those and nothing but. So far she hadn't seen anything living and honestly couldn't decide if that was something to be relieved or worried over. Based on recent experiences perhaps a little bit of both. And like their surroundings weren't bad enough the Doctor had, in his own cheery manner, announced that yes, today was a good day to take a walk. She hadn't received any further explanations despite her, admittedly, quite vocal demands. All she knew was that they'd been walking for ages, which she could tell from the pitiable and agonizingly painful state of her feet alone because the landscape around them refused to change. Well, from her feet and the unpleasant knowledge that it was long from when she'd been able to see the Tardis. She was tired, hungry, cold, hopelessly lost and, yes she was a big enough person to admit it, scared. Plus, because such was a point she'd stressed out loud, they had no bloody shelter and the weather didn't seem to be turning any warmer. If she'd learned anything from the Doctor until now it was that any and every situation had the potential of turning life threatening and at the moment they were basically asking for trouble.

In the end Donna did what any reasonable adult would've done in her situation. She kicked the nearest piece of ice-covered rock she could see and watched with satisfaction how it gained a impressive amount of air. Then she snapped. "Alright, I've had it!" she snarled, letting her hands do some more talking for her. Well, wasn't moving around the surest way to stay nice and warm? "Bizarre spaceships? Monsters? The most deserted corners of the whole bloody world? Okay! But I refuse to let you drag me around this god forsaken… _nothing_ without any explanation!"

The Doctor didn't offer her the answers she was demanding. And actually, now that she thought about it… The Time Lord walking two steps ahead of her hadn't uttered a word for a while, now. Which alone was very, very worrying. His whole frame seemed to be trembling. How the hell had she missed that before? How did she not notice that he was feeling unwell?

_Self-pity tends to do that_, a nasty voice in the back of her head supplied unhelpfully.

Donna frowned, something like guilt twisting and turning in the pit of her stomach. "Doctor? Are you… alright?"

The answering nod was barely traceable. "Yes, fine." Oh, so only two worded answers, now? Good grief, something _was_ horribly wrong. And to solidify Donna's gloomy prognosis at that very moment the Doctor's legs gave out underneath him and he collapsed to the snow.

Forgetting all about her former complaints Donna moved instantly, dashing to his side and crashlanding to the snow with such lack of grace that in any other situation it might've been embarrassing. "Doctor!" So what if her voice was full of panic? Surely it was allowed, at this very moment.

The Doctor was panting and it didn't slip her attention that there was a horrible, wheezing side tone. "'fine… Need to… catch my… breath…" Stubborn even when down and unable to get up on his own. It would've been far more convincing if his face hadn't gained a sickly shade of pale.

Donna growled, only the fear and worry spinning wildly inside her keeping her from rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure you are, Spaceman…" Deciding that his word was far from enough she outstretched her hand and placed it to his forehead. She shivered at the heat radiating from his skin, even through her glow. He was burning up.

Donna swallowed, quite positively feeling more lost than ever in her life. And that, considering all that she'd faced recently, was saying a lot. _You've gotta be kidding me__...!_ "Okay, okay." She took a deep breath, futilely trying to calm herself. "We're going to get you into a shelter, alright? We… We're too far from the Tardis but we need to find a shelter. Can you stand?"

The Doctor swallowed, not quite able to disguise the wince of pain. He shook his head vehemently and winced again. A headache, then. "No moving yet", he pleaded. Another alarming sign. Since _when_ did he beg?

Donna stared at him incredulously. Then scoffed. "You've gotta be kidding me…! A mighty Time Lord or not, we can't have you here out in the open like this when you're sick." She slipped a determined arm underneath his shoulder, ready to help him stand. Wonderful, she was trembling as well. And her heart was thundering in her chest. "Okay, now up with you!"

The Doctor swallowed again. "Donna…!" he warned. And that was when she noticed the hint of green amongst all the paleness. Exactly a second later he vomited loudly, narrowly missing her shoes.

Donna groaned and wrinkled her nose. "Fantastic…", slipped out before she managed to stop herself. Well, worry and irritation had always gone hand in hand with her.

The Doctor gave her a sheepish look. "'Sorry." His usually lively, sparkling eyes were bleary. Obviously whatever illness was plaguing him was getting worse.

Donna squeezed his shoulder, struggling and most likely failing to keep the constantly growing terror from showing on her face. "Hey, it's okay. You're not the first person throwing up on me." She took a deep, far from steady breath. "So… Are you ready to move now?"

The Doctor nodded somewhat hesitantly. Ushering every little bit of her determination Donna eventually managed to hoist him up to his wobbling feet. Sure, he was thin as a twig but his limp state made supporting him quite a challenge.

_Well, at least you're not feeling cold anymore_, she cheered bitterly.

It was scary, really, how quiet they were while making their way through the snow. Both of them stumbling and panting, the Doctor growing more and more sluggish with every step. She could basically feel his energy flowing away and it was horrifying.

Finally, after what felt like a small eternity although it couldn't be more than five minutes, Donna saw something that brought a spark of hope and relief to her eyes. A cave, no more than twenty steps away. Not exactly ideal for a sick person but it'd do. "Not much further", she encouraged her companion. "We're almost there."

"Mmm."

Donna had to bite her lip to keep herself from begging him to say something, _anything_. She needed desperately to hear him ramble on to a point where it threatened to drive her crazy, needed a sign that he was going to be alright. But as it was she focused on getting them to a shelter before he'd collapse on her again. Because she didn't think that he'd manage to get up again.

It was a fight that she barely won. But eventually they reached the tiny shadowy cave. It most definitely wasn't the most comfortable place Donna had spent a night in but it was reasonably warm and as it was she greeted it with joy and praises. It was silly, really, how close she came to bursting into tears of relief.

She was once again reminded of why they'd chosen this accommodation when she felt the Doctor's trembling worsen. She was barely able to soften his landing when his knees folded on their own and he slumped down, his eyes rolling in a way that made her stomach turn. Instantly she sunk down with him, one had pressed determinedly against his feverish cheek.

"Hey!" she all but cried out. "You're _not_ passing out on me, you hear? Stay awake, okay?" _At least until I can be sure that you're not dying on me. Then I can strangle you myself for scaring me like this when you're feeling better._

It seemed to be a mighty struggle but the Doctor's eyes did stay at least slightly open. They were alarmingly unfocused, though. Obviously his fever was spiking up. He licked his lips and she would've given a lot if she'd been able to offer him something to drink. Not knowing what else to do she took a small piece of ice to her hand a brought it gently to his mouth. He greeted the coolness with a hum of appreciation.

_There you go, Noble_, she congratulated herself. _At least you did one thing right. That's a start, right there._

Donna would've wanted to bask in that success for a little bit but couldn't allow herself such luxury. Because she needed to know, before he'd be unconscious and unable to answer. "Doctor." Her voice shook pitiably but at the moment it hardly mattered. "Do you… Do you know what's wrong with you?" _You're not going to die, right? Don't you dare even think about abandoning me like this…!_

The Doctor's eyes drooped heavily. It seemed like he was fading away. "… 'ust a… flue… of Time 'ords. 'ot serious."

Donna gulped, then sighed. At some point she'd taken his too warm, sweaty hand into hers and wasn't planning on letting go. _Then stop looking like you're dying!_ "You people never do anything halfway, do you?"

The Doctor smiled a little but a tear rolled down his cheek, sparkling like a diamond. " … 'ast of my kind… Have to be loyal to the tradition…"

A wave of immense grief went through Donna, right there, along with a massive amount of protectiveness. Before she could fully process what she was doing she crawled forward, shifting the two of them so that she had her arms wrapped around him from behind. The Doctor stiffened, clearly not quite understanding what she was doing.

"I'm trying to keep you warm, silly", she murmured. Although truthfully it wasn't quite that simple. "Just rest a bit, yeah? I'll be right here." They were safe and she chose to take his word that his life wasn't in any acute danger despite his fever being alarmingly high at the moment. Some sleep would most likely be for the best.

But the Doctor didn't relax. If anything he stiffened further and his barely aware eyes filled with immense grief. "Everyone leaves", he pointed out, so quietly that she barely heard.

It wasn't until then, as she looked into his much too old eyes, Donna finally realized. He was over nine hundred years old, someone who'd been through a war. All those people he must've lost and been forced to leave behind over that time… All the pain and heartache…

She tightened her hold on him, a little scared by how small he suddenly felt in her arms. "Well I won't", she swore, fighting back tears. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

The Doctor seemed to consider her sincerity for a while. Then, slowly, she felt all tension leaving him and his too warm body melted against hers. There, barely conscious, he suddenly grinned when he saw something outside. "Ah, there…!" he half sighed, half yawned. "… 'what I wante' to show you…"

Despite the fact that she was still immensely worried about him and saddened by his ealier, feverish words Donna was also curious. She looked up, peered at the sky that was just visible from the cave. And gasped.

Right there three suns were setting, painting the sky with incredible colors. Purple, red, green, several shades of blue… Emerald, sapphire and ruby all combined. It was definitely one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"What is that?" Donna whispered, as though fearing that anything louder might shatter the image before her.

The Doctor smiled. Despite his condition he seemed adorably proud of himself, of impressing her. "A sunset, of course." He stiffled a yawn. "'ppens only 'very three months."

Donna kept staring at the sunset, mesmerized by the sight. She didn't know how long she'd kept doing so until she managed to whisper fondly. "Thank you, Spaceman."

He didn't respond. Looking down with newfound alarm she received a hint of relief from the discovery that he'd merely fallen asleep. His breathing still wheezed but sounded just a little bit better than before.

Around then Donna became acutely aware of her own exhaustion. Comforting herself with the knowledge that they were both going to be okay she closed her eyes and tightened her hold on him once more. She'd sure as hell be there when he woke up.

So the companions slept on – a man who'd traveled on for almost a thousand years and a woman who only just learned to fly – keeping each other company and dreaming of their next adventure, and somehow everything in the world was about as right as it ever could be.

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><p><strong><em>End.<em>**

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><p>AN: Soooo… How was that? Any good, at all? To be exterminated? Since this is my very first 'Who' fic I'd LOVE to hear you opinion.

In any case, thank you so very much, for reading! And whoever knows, maybe I'll see you with some other story…

Take care, and please, don't blink!


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